Dave Richard's ultimate step-by-step guide for drafting wide receivers in your 2026 Fantasy Football leagues

You're going to need help figuring out how aggressive you need to be drafting wide receivers. Jul 31, 2026 at 11:28 am ET • 9 min read This is the position that will shape your draft strategy the most. The one that will require the most pre-draft work. If you read the running back strategies, you already know that the adjustments defenses have been making altered how often offenses throw, along with the ensuing Fantasy ramifications. It hasn't helped that many offenses have been and will continue to employ tight ends with size and speed to take advantage of matchups against slower linebackers and smaller safeties. They're taking targets away from wide receivers. The end result of all of this is a lack of elite-tier wide receivers you can count on for heavy target volume. The clearest evidence? Back in 2021 there were 37 different receivers who averaged at least seven targets per game; that number was 32 in 2024 ... and 24 in 2025. That's scary when you realize the best receivers are clearing eight targets per game. Not just seven. Eight. There are very good Fantasy WRs who are at or over seven per game, but they generally aren't as magical as the ones seeing more opportunities. And that's why the position as a whole has yielded less than optimal results for the past two years. The knee-jerk reaction is to simply go where supply is the weakest and load up on as many of the top-tier wide receivers as you can. A wonderful idea, save for two problems: A lot of people are going to suck up receivers within the first 20 picks in a draft, so getting two will be tricky unless you're willing to spend both of your first two picks on WRs. By chasing receivers, you're potentially leaving plenty of awesome value at running back for others to grab.Overlooking running backs might mean taking one of Ja'Marr Chase or Puka Nacua at the top of a draft instead of Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson. It means taking Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Amon-Ra St. Brown instead of Christian McCaffrey or Jonathan Taylor. It means taking CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson or Rashee Rice over James Cook, Ashton Jeanty or De'Von Achane. Sure, you'll have a for-sure advantage at wide receiver, but it'll come at a price that benefits several others in your league. You've got to be okay with that. The best way to decide just how receiver-happy you want to be is to take inventory of how many receivers you consider elite and how many you consider start-worthy. Once you know how comfortable you are with those types at the position, you can move forward with a battle plan. While you're putting names to numbers, you should also pinpoint those pass-catchers who you believe have great target upside compared to their draft value. If you can get a receiver who ends up with eight targets per game after Round 4, you're ahead of the game. Those are where Fantasy managers can win -- by finding this year's Jaxon Smith-Njigba, George Pickens and Chris Olave. Of course, those dudes just got a ton of targets and everything else fell into place. That's important, but it's not everything. Here's what to look for when drafting a Fantasy receiver: A WR who consistently gets targets (duh) - eight per game would be great but seven is fineA WR who can separate not just with speed, but with both agility and physicalityA WR connected to a great quarterbackA WR connected to a high-scoring offenseA WR who isn't on a team that gets really run-heavy in the red zoneA WR who you believe can give you 14-plus PPR (or 12-plus half-PPR or 10-plus non-PPR points) per gameFiguring out how many receivers you love, how many you like, and how many you'd settle for as a starter takes some work. No one said winning a Fantasy title would be easy. Find a set of rankings (like these) and count how many you love, like and would settle for. The numbers you come up with will determine your draft strategy. Receivers you love Less than 10: Better load up on the studs as much as you can. Two with your first two picks is in order. 10 to 15: Target at least one wide receiver with one of your first two picks. Two would be cool but don't force it. 16 or more: You can afford to target running backs and a tight end with most of your first four picks. You also are probably too lenient with your receiver judgments. Dave's number: 10, though a healthy Malik Nabers would blow this number up to 11. These are my top-tier receivers. Receivers you like Less than 10: My goodness, do you like anybody? Race to draft receivers. 10 to 15: Target at least two receivers with your third through sixth draft picks. Not too tall of a task. 16 or more: You can take your time to find your next-best wideouts. Maybe you haven't taken any after Round 2 or 3 and can hammer the position in Rounds 4 through 6. And again, be more judgmental. It's okay, no one's gonna know but you. Dave's number: 15, so maybe a few more than most people. I'm good with it. These are my tier 3 through 5 receivers. Receivers you'd settle for as starters Less than 12: Yeah you're definitely not a fan of many receivers and should draft as many WRs as you can start in the early/middle rounds. Aren't you glad you learned this about yourself? 12 to 20: You've found a lot of quality receivers you could start. That should mean less pressure to fill your lineup compared to running back and potentially tight end. I wouldn't blow the position off, but getting a couple before the end of Round 9 is a good idea. 21 or more: No silly jokes here, plenty of people are okay settling for a lot of receivers in this range. There are a lot of interesting receivers with solid upside, but ugly downside. Of course they're worth starting, just not with a lot of excitement. Frankly something's really wrong with you if your number isn't this high. Dave's number: 18. I guess there's something wrong with me. These are my tier 6 through 8 receivers. So once you have your rough estimates of how many receivers you like at each level, you can form your own draft plan. I clearly should be ready to get at least one receiver in the very early rounds, two more before the end of Round 6, and two more before the end of Round 9. Hopefully this resonates with you and you can move forward in drafts with some confidence. If not, you could always just use our consensus rankings and trust our offseason research ... but what's the fun in that? Questions you might have When looking for breakout receivers, is there a specific profile to look for? I think a lot of teams are trying to find the next Amon-Ra St. Brown or the next Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both receivers had plenty of overall targets of course, but both earned a lot of red-zone targets and both ran a lot of horizontal routes (in-breaking and out-breaking). I'd take longer looks at receivers who are slot friendly and have a track record of winning over the middle of the field. Is Hero-WR a strategy? That means taking one stud receiver really early and then waiting to draft more. Sure, it's a strategy, but only if you really love a lot of the receivers you'll find in Round 6 and beyond. If you've had success picking them that late, keep doing it. If you haven't, this isn't the year to try it. Is Zero-WR a strategy? Not a great one. If you wait to gobble up receivers it means the rest of your league has already beaten you to the ones that figure to be the best. It's an uphill battle to be successful, though it can be done if you find sneaky-volume receivers after Round 5 or 6. How should receivers be prioritized starting in Round 10? At that point you should be looking for depth. I like to hunt for receivers who have a shot to finish second (or first) on their team in targets, even if the team isn't so good. It helps if they're explosive or have a role that's different from their other teammates. Jalen Coker, KC Concepcion, Jalen Nailor and Rashid Shaheed all stand out to me. You will see some veteran receivers who are deemed "high-floor" or "safe." Those are kind ways of saying "lacking upside." Not that they'll be bad for your Fantasy squad, but they're more like bench guys you'll use during bye weeks or when injuries hit, and you wouldn't expect a lot of touchdowns or a bunch of 100-yard games. You wouldn't normally start them in typically sized formats, so why invest in more than one of them? Additionally, receivers tend to be easier to find off of waivers during the season, which is why I like to clog my bench with running backs in the late rounds, not receivers. What changes in a half-PPR league? High-reception, low-efficiency receivers who don't score a lot are far more devalued, especially compared to splash play receivers with speed. Running backs will get pushed up a little bit. All of the strategies are still in play. What changes in a non-PPR league? Receivers pretty much lose any edge compared to running backs because most don't get as many total yards or as many touchdowns. Receivers who don't usually get 100 yards or a bunch of touchdowns are really unpopular in this format. Running backs are always way more popular in non-PPR formats, both in drafts and on trade blocks. What if it's a league of 10 or fewer teams? This is when I'd say it's easier to go after running backs than wide receivers, but because there are so few consensus elite-tier receivers, I might be more inclined to bulk up on those specific pass-catchers in smaller full-PPR leagues. That's because more running backs will get pushed down in drafts because fewer people are drafting. What if it's a league of 14 or more teams? I'd prioritize the top receivers to the point where I'd take two with my first three picks, as long as it's full PPR. If receptions didn't count then I'd either aim to be balanced with one RB and one WR with my first two picks, or just go after two RBs and deal with the tier 3 through 5 receivers. How should drafters view receivers who are hurt, expected to be suspended or holding out from practice? Simple: Don't take them unless it's at a great value. Every year receivers become unpopular due to August injuries or financial scuffles. I wouldn't expect anyone who falls under those labels to make immediate impacts, but it's a long football season and sometimes players can regain their form just in time for when it matters: the Fantasy playoff push. What if I have more questions? You can always reach out on X (@daverichard), or drop the Fantasy Football Today Podcast a line (fantasyfootball@cbsi.com). Our rankings are updated daily and can always be found here.